WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he would visit to China early next year, expressing optimism about reaching a trade agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping despite renewed tensions over tariffs and export controls.
Speaking at the White House alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Trump said he had accepted an invitation from Xi to visit Beijing.
“I’ve been invited to go to China, and I’ll be doing that sometime fairly early next year. We have it sort of set,” he told reporters.
Trump and Xi are expected to meet later this month in South Korea on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit — their first meeting since Trump began his second term.
Trump expresses optimism on trade deal
Ahead of bilateral talks with Albanese, Trump said he expected to finalise what he called a “fair trade deal” with China during the upcoming talks.
“I want to be good to China. I love my relationship with President Xi. We have a great relationship,” he said.
The US president added that he hoped to resolve long-standing trade issues between the world’s two largest economies.
“I think we’ll end up with a very strong trade deal. Both of us will be happy,” Trump said, while also boasting of US military strength.
Meanwhile, Trump and Albanese discussed strengthening defence cooperation and expediting the delivery of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia under the AUKUS pact.
China calls for ‘equal’ trade talks
In Beijing, China reiterated its call for “equal and mutually respectful” negotiations with Washington as the two sides prepared for a new round of economic talks this week.
“Tariff wars and trade wars are not in the interests of any parties,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a press briefing.
“Both sides should resolve relevant issues through consultations based on equality, mutual respect, and reciprocity.”
Guo confirmed that Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had agreed during a video call on Saturday to meet in person later this week, likely in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Tensions over tariffs and export controls
The latest diplomatic outreach follows heightened tension between Washington and Beijing. Trump recently threatened to impose a 100% tariff on Chinese imports in response to China’s new export restrictions on rare earth minerals.
However, he appeared to soften his stance last week, acknowledging that “high tariffs on Chinese imports were not sustainable.”
On Sunday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that his top priorities for negotiations with Beijing would include rare earths, fentanyl, and soybeans. “I don’t want them to play the rare earth game with us,” he said.
Beijing, in turn, accused Washington of “causing panic” over its export controls and later sanctioned US units of a South Korean shipping company.
The United States and China remain locked in an uneasy trade truce as both sides navigate renewed disputes over tariffs, technology exports, and agricultural purchases.
